'Waste, fraud and abuse' is a political fight older than the nation. Here's what to know

Pinpointing the genesis of “waste, fraud and abuse” as political rhetoric is difficult. But the concept is older than the nation: Think “taxation without representation.” Good-government advocates, anti-tax conservatives, politicians of various stripes and everyday Americans regularly grouse about that phrase, which has been hailed as common sense and derided as propaganda. Now, weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency — led by billionaire Elon Musk — are initiating the latest effort to tackle “waste, fraud and abuse” across the U.S. government. “It’s a very broad idea,” said Matt Weidinger of the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. “But this phrase ‘waste, fraud and abuse’ obviously means different things to different people.”